Got a job in Denmark? Follow these steps

Have you just got a job in Denmark? Here you can read about the practical steps you need to take and what you must consider.

This information is for EU citizens only.

1. ARRANGE TAX AND A DANISH ID NUMBER

The first thing you should do when you have acquired a job in Denmark is to contact the Danish tax office Skattestyrelsen. Everyone who works in Denmark must have a personal ID number - CPR number.

If you have a job in Denmark but live in Sweden, you need to apply for your CPR number via Skat.dk.

If you have a place to live in Denmark, and have a residence permit (non-EU citizens) or an EU registration certificate (EU citizens) you can apply for a CPR number online at International House Copenhagen's website.

If your employer requests a CPR number from you in order to be able to draw up a contract of employment, you should explain that you need an employment contract to get a CPR number from Skattestyrelsen. Your employer can print a preliminary contract for you, without your personal ID number, which you can then use when sending the CPR number application to Skattestyrelsen. When you have received a CPR number, your employer can write the permanent contract with your new CPR number.

2. YOUR EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT - WHAT IS INCLUDED?

Your employer is obliged to inform you of agreements in the workplace, working hours, start times, holidays and termination of employment. If there is a trade union agreement, your employer must inform you of it. Many people working in Denmark are employed on the basis of the Danish funktionærloven. This works like a collective bargaining agreement and includes laws concerning the employment relationship with regard to, among other things, termination, sickness, parental leave, and competition and customer clauses. Please check with your employer whether you are employed under the funktionærloven.

Five so-called "feriefridagar" have been agreed and many employers offer six week's holiday. However, this is not legislated so check with your employer to see what happens in your workplace. The same applies to the so-called "omsorgsdage", which employees in the public sector are entitled to if that have children (2 omsorgsdage per child per year). If you have children, it may be a good idea to check if you are entitled to omsorgsdage, even if you are employed privately.

If you live in Sweden and work in Denmark, you should have unemployment insurance in Denmark. This applies to both full-time and part-time work. Register with a Danish a-kasse on your first working day. Every a-kasse have a designated EU-case worker whom you can contact. If you are insured in the wrong country, you are regarded as being uninsured.

If you would like to join a trade union, you should also change to a Danish trade union. This is because a Swedish trade union will not be able to help you in matters related to the Danish labour market.

If you have an income insurance in Sweden through your trade union or privately, you should check the possibilities for retaining this.

4. ORDER A "SÆRLIGT SUNDHEDSKORT"

When you begin working in Denmark, you are also entitled to use Danish healthcare. To see a doctor in Denmark you need a card called a "særligt sundhedskort". The "særlige sundhedskort" commuters are given, is a plastic card, which contains your date of birth and your Danish CPR number. It entitles you to use the Danish healthcare system on the same terms as all other Danish citizens even if you are not registered as a resident in Denmark.

Who is entitled to the særlige sundhedskort? You can get the særlige sundhedskort (free of charge) if you do not live in Denmark but are affiliated to the social insurance there.

How do you apply for the særlige sundhedskort? You apply using a digital form on borger.dk/særligt sundhedskort

You may be asked to attach different documents (depending on your situation), such as:

copies of your three most recent payslips, showing your Danish CPR number

as well as a copy of your employment contract.

If you live in Sweden and work in Denmark, you are still entitled to Swedish dental care, but you should request a special certificate from the Försäkringskassen (Swedish Social Insurance Agency). You can read more in the "Visiting a dentist in Denmark" article.

5. OPENING AN ACCOUNT IN A DANISH BANK

When you start working in Denmark, you must open a Danish bank account to be able to receive your salary. Do this as soon as possible once you have received your CPR number, because it often takes some time for the payroll administrator to put you into the system.

Today many banks offer good solutions for commuters, which are called brokonton (bridge account).

When you work in Denmark, you will also need to have one account known as the NemKonto: a public payment system, which makes it possible for the authorities to pay you money. Please contact your bank to ensure that the bank account that you open to receive your salary is also a NemKonto.

6. NEMID - ONE LOGIN FOR EVERYTHING

Since a lot of your personal information will be accessed digitally by the different authorities and private operators, you should have a secure login to the different sites. With NemID you have a personal digital signature, which you can use for your bank, a-kasse (unemployment insurance fund) and insurance company as well as Skattestyrelsen and borger.dk. A NemID consists of a user ID, a password and a key card. You can use the NemID on all computers, but you must always have your key card to hand.

As a Swedish citizen with a job in Denmark, you cannot order a NemID digitally (this requires a Danish passport or driving license). You should visit your Danish bank, a "borger service office" or International House Copenhagen. Please remember to bring the certificate that confirms your Danish CPR number. For example, this could be your årsopgørelse, a sundhedskort or your payslip. In addition, you must take some photo ID with you, such as your passport.

7. CHECKING YOUR PENSION AGREEMENT

When you begin working in Denmark, you also earn pension in Denmark, both the state pension and in some cases an employer funded pension. Check your pension agreement at your workplace. Not all Danish employers have a pension agreement and if that is the case, you can make your own pension savings if you want to. Read more in the "Pension" chapter.

8. CHECK THE AGREEMENTS FOR PARENTAL LEAVE AT YOUR WORKPLACE

If you work in Denmark, you are entitled to parental leave and remuneration according to the same conditions as those who live in Denmark. Depending on the trade union agreement at your workplace, you will either receive a salary from your employer or parental allowance from the municipality. Ask your employer to find out what applies in your workplace. You can read more in the "Parental leave" article.

9. FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE SOCIAL INSURED

Normally the work country is the country, which is responsible for the employee's social insurance. If you carry out work in two countries, this can change, and it is therefore important to examine how it affects your social insurance. Contact Försäkringskassan if you live in Sweden or Udbetaling Danmark if you live in Danmark.

You can find more information about what to do when starting to commute to Denmark on borger.dk.